Gabe Weatherhead and Erik Hess are my kind of people – keen observers of how technology fits into our everyday lives and gracious about sharing their knowledge with their readers and followers. I think you can tell we had a lot of fun talking before, during, and after the recording… and I hope you enjoy “hanging out with us” as well.

This week’s App.Net launch is a small victory for an idea: Instead of being cynical, people can make the culture that they’re looking for. In that spirit, I’m going to share a few people I think are doing work worthy of your support. (Grab those wallets and purses!)

Maybe that’s why I felt like I wanted to share a few “booster shots of humanity” with you tonight… so here are some items that I came across this week which I think showcase the better aspects of our nature.

“Faces of the Tsunami”

The main character in “The Human Condition” rails against the suffering of those around him while his peers stand around and say “shikata ga nai” (a Japanese idiom for “it can’t be helped”). Writer MIN JIN LEEexamines what “shikata ga nai” means to survivors of last year’s devastating disasters in Japan, but the accompanying “Faces of the Tsunami” photo series by photographer DENIS ROUVRE is the part that really captured me. It is a look into the actual human faces of the tragedy and I think you’ll come away from it inspired by the strength and dignity that you see.

What The Tools Are For

There were three bits of technology writing that I saw this week which I thought went beyond the usual “nuts-and-bolts” fare and into far more interesting territory: looking at the human purposes for the tools we use.

“Two Splendid Journalists”

It has been an especially bad month for American journalism — first from the loss of ANTHONY SHADID and now with news of the death of MARIE COLVIN. David Remnick wrote a moving tribute to Colvin for the New Yorker and Sherry Ricchiardi for the American Journalism Review pays her respects to both Shadid and Colvin in a piece called “Remembering Two Splendid Journalists”. In it, she shares personal stories about how each reporter tried to make a meaningful impact for people living in the war-torn places that they covered.

I thought this passage was on-point and especially lovely:

“Even in brief conversations, these two journalists forcefully drove home their message: The human condition was a sacred beat. When Shadid drove into an Iraqi village, he went straight to the barber shop or the local mosque. “You can find out everything there if they trust you,” he said. Colvin traveled with Chechen rebels, sleeping in caves with bags of grenades for a pillow. “You eat what they eat, you drink what they drink, you never act like you are above them,” she said.”

Whatever beat you patrol, I think that showing respect for “the human condition” gives your work additional depth and impact. Many thanks to everyone mentioned above for bringing that level of respect to the areas that they cover!

Latest Updates

They make a point of not wearing out their welcome. The Veritrope List is a semi-regular collection of updates and interesting items. It even shows up at your door with flowers and wine! **

** If only this last part were true…

Nice People

It takes a lot of time, money, and care to run this site. I'm so very grateful to the readers below who've shown their support for Veritrope with a donation.

isaac david

thanks again for the macmail script

Malone Guthrie

I have just used this script, which is a miracle for me as I have no idea about any sort of programing. Thank you so much. It worked perfectly 1st time!

Elizabeth Hannan

Thanks for creating and sharing this script - "Chrome tabs to Evernote dump" it has been very helpful! My guy says that I have a "tab" problem and yes, I have found the end of Chrome... its around 99 tabs.. a day. But I own an agency and consume over 600 webpages every 24 hours. Proud co-dependant :-) My guy can just marvel at my greatness! If there was a way to match the tab-save to a labeled-notebook that pulled the name of my device that would be great too! Kinda like a tab-hook on the auto dump. I average 4 devices a day across window and Mac. Thanks for saving me hours! -E

Simon Kennedy

The rest of the donation sorry.....

Simon Kennedy

You guys are genius, thank you all so much for the great time savings apps and support.

Veritrope participates in several affiliate advertising programs (including Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and iTunes Affiliate Program).
When you purchase an item through these links, I earn a small commission. Your support of Veritrope through these programs is very much appreciated!